Luge sleds have been used for many years for both recreational and competitive purposes. Traditional luge design includes a supporting surface, for supporting the sled rider, and two runners mounted to the bottom of the supporting surface. The runners generally have an arcuately-shaped front portion terminating at a runner horn. Steering of the luge is accomplished by applying a lateral force (e.g., by pushing with the rider's legs) to the runner horn to laterally flex the interface between the runner and the support surface. Runners have been manufactured from wood laminated with a steel sole to provide a low-friction, long-lasting running surface.
Although traditional luge designs perform satisfactorily under a wide range of conditions, such luge sleds can be uncomfortable and can be difficult to use, especially for the novice rider. Further, traditional luge sleds tend to be heavy (e.g., as much as 44 pounds) due to the large amount of metal and wood utilized in their design. Such larger sleds can also have a limited useful life span and can require frequent maintenance due to corrosion of steel components and/or splintering, warping or rotting of wood components. In addition, traditional luge sleds tend to take a long time to manufacture (e.g., about 5 hours or more per sled) due to the required welding of the support assembly and fabrication of a two-piece runner.
Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to provide a comfortable, easy-to-use luge sled which is particularly suitable for the recreational rider. It is another object of the present invention to decrease the weight of luge sleds and to decrease the maintenance costs associated with long-term usage of such sleds. It is yet another object of the present invention to decrease the manufacturing costs associated with fabrication of luge sleds by eliminating expensive and time consuming welding operations and reducing the number of parts associated with such sleds. The present invention is particularly suitable for sale as a kit for subsequent assembly by the user.